2010-06-30

Than Shwe the Third 'Worst of the Worst'

In an article titled �The Worst of the Worst,� Foreign Policy magazine named junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe the world's third worst dictator, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il  ranked No 1 and Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe No 2.

Than Shwe, Kim Jong Il and Mugabe were pictured on the magazine cover with the caption, �The committee to destroy the world.�

Than Shwe, who has been ruling Burma by force for almost 20 years, was described by Foreign Policy as a �heartless military coconut head whose sole consuming preoccupation is power.�

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Ken Clarke to attack 'bang 'em up' prison sentencing | UK news | The Guardian

A prisoner in Barlinnie jail with mental health problems A prisoner in Barlinnie jail. Photograph: Murdo Macleod/Guardian

The justice secretary, Ken Clarke, will today launch a scathing attack on the Victorian "bang 'em up" prison culture of the past 20 years.

His speech to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies in London marks a major assault on the "prison works" orthodoxy launched by former Tory home secretary Michael Howard – and is believed to be causing nervousness in Downing Street.

Clarke will warn that simply "banging up more and more people for longer" is actually making some criminals worse, without protecting the public.

"In our worst prisons it produces tougher criminals. Many a man has gone into prison without a drug problem and come out drug dependent. And petty prisoners can meet up with some new hardened criminal friends," says advance extracts of his speech.

Clarke faces mounting pressure to halt the £4bn prison building programme – the largest in Europe – and his speech will fuel expectations that he intends to divert thousands of offenders away from short-term prison sentences when the government's review of sentencing is published in the autumn.

The justice secretary faces a battle if he is to stabilise the growth of the prison population, which is forecast to rise to 94,000 before the next general election.

Clarke was last in charge of prisons when he was home secretary between 1992 and 1993, when the prison population in England and Wales stood at 44,628. He says today that the current population of 85,000 is "an astonishing number which I would have dismissed as an impossible and ridiculous prediction if it had been put to me in a forecast in 1992."

He says that "for as long as I can remember" the political debate on law and order has been reduced to a competition over whether a government has spent more public money and locked up more people for longer than its predecessor. It now costs more to put someone in prison – £38,000 – than it does to send a boy to Eton.

He said: "The consequence is that more and more offenders have been warehoused in outdated facilities and we spend vast amounts of public money on prison. But no proper thought has been given to whether this is really the best and most effective way of protecting the public against crime."

Clarke will point out that prison is the necessary punishment for many offenders, but he questions whether "ever more prison for ever more offenders" always produces better results for the public. He provides his own answer by observing that the record prison population and the crime rate in England and Wales are now among the highest in Western Europe.

He says that just locking people up without actively seeking to change them is "what you would expect of Victorian England" and he notes that reoffending rates among the 60,000 prisoners given short sentences has reached 60% and rising.

"This does not surprise me. It is virtually impossible to do anything productive with offenders on short sentences. And many of them end up losing their jobs, their homes and their families during their short time inside," says Clarke.

The justice secretary's speech will fuel expectations among prison reform groups that the sentencing review will lead to a drive to divert short-sentence inmates away from prison.

But Clarke himself is careful not to spell out that solution in today's speech. He says that a "far more constructive approach" is to make prisons places of education, hard work and change, and to provide rigorous enforced community sentences that get offenders off drugs and alcohol and into jobs.

In doing so he puts his weight behind "the most radical" Conservative plans for a "rehabilitation revolution," involving the voluntary and private sectors in programmes to change offenders inside and outside prison, and paying them by results.

"They would have clear financial incentives to keep offenders away from crime. And success would be measured by whether or not they are reconvicted within the first few years of leaving prison," he will say.

Howard's "prison works" approach was outlined in October 1993 and has held sway ever since.

Clarke's speech marks a return to the language of former home secretary Douglas Hurd's 1991 white paper, which said that "prison was an expensive way of making bad people worse" – and in those days the prison population stood at only 42,000.

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2010-06-29

Spleen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Spleen (disambiguation).
Spleen
Illu spleen.jpg

Spleen
Horse spleen laparoscopic.jpg

Laparoscopic view of a horse's spleen (the purple and grey mottled organ)
Latin splen, lien
Gray's subject #278 1282
Artery Splenic artery
Vein Splenic vein
Nerve Splenic plexus
Precursor Mesenchyme of dorsal mesogastrium
MeSH Spleen
Dorlands/Elsevier Spleen

The spleen (from Greek "σπλήν" - splen[1]) is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system.[2] In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock while also recycling iron.[3] It synthesizes antibodies in its white pulp and removes antibody-coated bacteria along with antibody-coated blood cells by way of blood and lymph node circulation. The spleen is purple and gray. [3][4] Recently, it has been found to contain in its reserve half of the body's monocytes within the red pulp. These monocytes, upon moving to injured tissue (such as the heart), turn into dendritic cells and macrophages while promoting tissue healing.[5][6][7] It is one of the centers of activity of the reticuloendothelial system and can be considered analogous to a large lymph node, as its absence leads to a predisposition toward certain infections.[8]

Contents

[edit] Anatomy

The spleen, in healthy adult humans, is 11 centimetres (4.3 in) in length. It usually weighs 150 grams (5.3 oz) and lies beneath the 9th to the 12th thoracic ribs.[9]

Like the thymus, the spleen possesses only efferent lymphatic vessels.

The spleen is part of the lymphatic system.

The germinal centers are supplied by arterioles called penicilliary radicles.[10]

The spleen is unique in respect to its development within the gut. While most of the gut viscera are endodermally derived (with the exception of the neural-crest derived suprarenal gland), the spleen is derived from mesenchymal tissue.[11] Specifically, the spleen forms within, and from, the dorsal mesentery. However, it still shares the same blood supply — the celiac trunk — as the foregut organs.

[edit] Function

Area Function Composition
red pulp Mechanical filtration of red blood cells. Reserve of monocytes[5]
white pulp Active immune response through humoral and cell-mediated pathways. Composed of nodules, called Malpighian corpuscles. These are composed of:

Other functions of the spleen are less prominent, especially in the healthy adult:

  • Production of opsonins, properdin, and tuftsin.
  • Creation of red blood cells. While the bone marrow is the primary site of hematopoiesis in the adult, the spleen has important hematopoietic functions up until the fifth month of gestation. After birth, erythropoietic functions cease, except in some hematologic disorders. As a major lymphoid organ and a central player in the reticuloendothelial system, the spleen retains the ability to produce lymphocytes and, as such, remains an hematopoietic organ.
  • Storage of red blood cells and other formed elements. In horses roughly 30% of the red blood cells are stored there. The red blood cells can be released when needed.[12] In humans, it does not act as a reservoir of blood cells.[13] It can also store platelets in case of an emergency.
  • Storage of half the body's monocytes so that upon injury they can migrate to the injured tissue and transform into dendritic cells and macrophages and so assist wound healing.[5]

[edit] Effect of removal

See also: Asplenia

Surgical removal causes:[6]

A 28-year follow up of 740 veterans of World War II found that those who had been splenectomised showed a significant excess of mortality from pneumonia (6 from an expected 1.3) and a significant excess of mortality from ischaemic heart disease (4.1 from an expected 3) but not from other conditions.[14]

[edit] Disorders

Main article: Splenic disease

Disorders include splenomegaly, where the spleen is enlarged for various reasons, and asplenia, where the spleen is not present or functions abnormally.

[edit] Etymology and cultural views

The word spleen comes from the Greek σπλήν, and is the idiomatic equivalent of the heart in English, i.e. to be good-spleened (εὔσπλαγχνος) means to be good-hearted or compassionate.[15]

In English the word spleen was customary during the period of the 18th century. Authors like Richard Blackmore or George Cheyne employed it to characterize the hypocondriacal and hysterical affections.[16] [17]

In French, "splénétique" refers to a state of pensive sadness or melancholy. It has been popularized by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) but was already used before in particular to the Romantic literature (18th century). The word for the organ is "la rate."

The connection between spleen (the organ) and melancholy (the temperament) comes from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks. One of the humours (body fluid) was the black bile, secreted by the spleen organ and associated with melancholy. In contrast, the Talmud (tractate Berachoth 61b) refers to the spleen as the organ of laughter while possibly suggesting a link with the humoral view of the organ. In the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century England, women in bad humour were said to be afflicted by the spleen, or the vapours of the spleen. In modern English, "to vent one's spleen" means to vent one's anger, e.g. by shouting, and can be applied to both males and females. Similarly, the English term "splenetic" is used to describe a person in a foul mood.

In Chinese, the spleen ' (pí)' counts as the seat of one's temperament and is thought to influence the individual's willpower. Analogous to "venting one's spleen", "發脾氣" is used as an expression for getting angry, although in the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the view of "脾" does not correspond to the anatomical "spleen". "脾" is a conceptual functional group that mainly has regards to digestion which, in some scholars' opinions, corresponds to the function of the pancreas.

The spleen also plays a part in Western/American humor, a joke being 'Aaaah! My spleen!' shouted by somebody being attacked/hurt. This is a recurring joke in the American comic Brewster Rockit--whenever the character Winky is sent out to fight a monster he is always hurt and always screams 'Aaaah! My spleen!' or such variations of the phrase. The spleen joke has also played a part in blonde jokes (usually having the blonde not know where her spleen is) as well in other humor occurances.

[edit] Variation among vertebrates

In cartilagenous and ray-finned fish the spleen is normally a somewhat elongated organ, consisting primarily of red pulp, with only a small amount of white pulp. In lungfish, the spleen is not a distinct organ as it actually lies inside the serosal lining of the intestine. In many amphibians, especially frogs, it takes on the more rounded form and there is often a greater quantity of white pulp.[18]

In reptiles, birds, and mammals, white pulp is always relatively plentiful, and in the latter two groups, the spleen is typically rounded, although it adjusts its shape somewhat to the arrangement of the surrounding organs. In the great majority of vertebrates, the spleen continues to produce red blood cells throughout life; it is only in mammals that this function is lost in the adult. Many mammals possess tiny spleen-like structures known as haemal nodes throughout the body, which presumably have the same function as the spleen proper.[18] The spleens of aquatic mammals are in some ways dissimilar to those of fully land dwelling mammals. In general the spleens of aquatic mammals are bluish in colour. In cetaceans and manatees it tends to be quite small, but in deep diving pinnipeds it can be quite massive, owing to its function of storing red blood cells.

The only vertebrates lacking a spleen are the lampreys and hagfishes. Even in these animals, there is a diffuse layer of haematopoeitic tissue within the gut wall, which has a similar structure to red pulp, and is presumably homologous with the spleen of higher vertebrates.[18]

[edit] See also

[edit] Additional images

The celiac artery and its branches.

The celiac artery and its branches.

Horizontal disposition of the peritoneum in the upper part of the abdomen.

Transverse section through the middle of the first lumbar vertebra.

The duodenum and pancreas.

The visceral surface of the spleen.

Transverse section of the spleen, showing the trabecular tissue and the splenic vein and its tributaries.

Transverse section of the human spleen, showing the distribution of the splenic artery and its branches.

Section of the spleen, showing the termination of the small blood vessels.

Back of lumbar region, showing surface markings for kidneys, ureters, and spleen.

Side of thorax, showing surface markings for bones, lungs (purple), pleura (blue), and spleen (green).

Lymphatic system

[edit] References

  1. ^ σπλήν, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  2. ^ Spleen, Internet Encyclopedia of Science
  3. ^ a b Mebius RE, Kraal G. (2005). Structure and function of the spleen. Nat Rev Immunol. 5(8):606-16. PMID 16056254
  4. ^ Loscalzo, Joseph; Fauci, Anthony S.; Braunwald, Eugene; Dennis L. Kasper; Hauser, Stephen L; Longo, Dan L. (2008). Harrison's principles of internal medicine. McGraw-Hill Medical. ISBN 9780071466339. 
  5. ^ a b c Swirski FK, Nahrendorf M, Etzrodt M, Wildgruber M, Cortez-Retamozo V, Panizzi P, Figueiredo J-L, Kohler RH, Chudnovskiy A, Waterman P, Aikawa E, Mempel TR, Libby P, Weissleder R, Pittet MJ. (2009). Identification of Splenic Reservoir Monocytes and Their Deployment to Inflammatory Sites. Science, 325: 612-616. doi:10.1126/science.1175202
  6. ^ a b Jia T, Pamer EG. (2009). Dispensable But Not Irrelevant. Science, 325:549-550. doi:10.1126/science.1178329
  7. ^ Finally, the Spleen Gets Some Respect By NATALIE ANGIER, New York Times, August 3, 2009
  8. ^ Brender, MD is a beep, Erin; Allison Burke, MA, illustrator, Richard M. Glass, MD, editor (2005-11-23). "Spleen Patient Page" (PDF). Journal of the American Medical Association (American Medical Association) 294 (20): 2660. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/294/20/2660.pdf. Retrieved 2008-03-20. 
  9. ^ Spielmann, Audrey L.; David M. DeLong, Mark A. Kliewer (1 January 2005). "Sonographic Evaluation of Spleen Size in Tall Healthy Athletes". American Journal of Roentgenology (American Roentgen Ray Society) 2005 (184): 45–49. PMID 15615949. http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/content/abstract/184/1/45. Retrieved 2008-09-09. 
  10. ^ thefreedictionary.com - penicilliary radicles
  11. ^ Vellguth, Swantje; Brita von Gaudecker, Hans-Konrad Müller-Hermelink. "The development of the human spleen". Cell and Tissue Research (Springer Berlin / Heidelberg) 242 (3): 579–592. http://www.springerlink.com/content/q231303t1455j524/. Retrieved 2009-02-14. 
  12. ^ Carey, Bjorn (May 5, 2006). "Horse science: What makes a Derby winner - Spleen acts as a 'natural blood doper,' scientist says". MSNBC.com (Microsoft). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12648465/. Retrieved 2006-05-09. 
  13. ^ Tao Le. First Aid for the Basic Sciences: General Principles. Page 460.
  14. ^ Robinette CD, Fraumeni JF Jr. (1977). Splenectomy and subsequent mortality in veterans of the 1939-45 war. Lancet. Jul 16;2(8029):127-9. PMID 69206 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(77)90132-5
  15. ^ Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, commentary on 1 Peter 3:8
  16. ^ Cheyne, George: The English Malady; or, A Treatise of Nervous Diseases of All Kinds, as Spleen, Vapours, Lowness of Spirits, Hypochondriacal and Hysterical Distempers with the Author’s own Case at large, Dublin, 1733. Facsimile ed., ed. Eric T. Carlson, M.D., 1976, Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, ISBN 9780820112817;
  17. ^ Blackmore, Richard: Treatise of the spleen and vapors. London, 1725
  18. ^ a b c Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 410–411. ISBN 0-03-910284-X. 

[edit] External links

Search Wiktionary

Look up spleen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Human systems and organs
TA 2-4:
musculoskeletal

Bone (Carpus · Collar bone (clavicle) · Thigh bone (femur) · Fibula · Humerus · Mandible · Metacarpus · Metatarsus · Ossicles · Patella · Phalanges · Radius · Skull (cranium) · Tarsus · Tibia · Ulna · Rib · Vertebra · Pelvis · Sternum) · Cartilage
TA 5-11:
splanchnic/
viscus

mostly
Thoracic

TA 12-16

peripheral (Artery, Vein, Lymph vessel) · Heart
primary (Bone marrow, Thymus) · secondary (Spleen, Lymph node)
N/S
Non-TA
general anatomy: systems and organs, regional anatomy, planes and lines, superficial axial anatomy, superficial anatomy of limbs
Immune system: Lymphatic system (TA A13.1-2, GA 8 and 9)
Primary

Cortex  · Medulla  · Thymocytes  · Hassall's corpuscles
Secondary

Spleen
(process blood)

Minister joins backlash against Osborne's sickness benefit cuts - UK Politics, UK - The Independent

George Osborne faced anger and dismay last night over his plans to cut sickness benefits, with even a government minister joining the backlash.

Further details of the drive to provide jobs for the long-term unemployed – including those currently claiming incapacity benefit at an annual cost to the Treasury of £12.5bn – will be set out today.

Private companies and charities are expected to be offered extra incentives to help find work for the jobless under the proposals to be set out by Chris Grayling, the employment minister.

The Government believes that an overhaul of the benefits system will eventually reduce by one-fifth the number of people registered as too sick to work.

Mr Osborne, who has already announced plans to cut the benefits bill by £11bn, disclosed he was seeking further savings from the employment and support allowance, which is replacing incapacity benefit, and from housing benefit payments. The Chancellor indicated that the costs of incapacity benefit were no longer sustainable because they exceeded the budget of some Whitehall departments.

Further signs that benefit claimants are being targeted for cuts will put greater pressure on the unity of the coalition Government.

Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, expressed concern that the 2.6 million people on incapacity benefit could soon face more frequent medical assessments. "I would think that everyone wants those who can work but who claim incapacity benefit falsely not to receive that support," she wrote on her blog.

"However, the previous Labour government tried to get people off such allowances and my experience as a local MP from surgery is that the 'reassessment' of people claiming has been variable at best. We need to be sure that there is no perverse incentive to determine that someone can work when they cannot. We also need to be sure that those carrying out the assessment are good at it."

John Pugh, the Liberal Democrat MP for Southport, said it was important any changes were implemented in a manner "properly sensitive" to people's circumstances. He said: "There are quite genuine concerns about whether people getting this benefit truly deserve it – but we do want to make sure that those who truly deserve it get it."

The coalition Government has said all claimants of the benefit would have their cases reassessed to determine their "readiness to work". Those deemed healthy enough to hold down a job would be transferred to Jobseeker's Allowance, meaning they would receive less money and be required to seek employment.

Assessments carried out by the previous government concluded that 39 per cent were "fit for work", while a further 37 per cent withdrew their claims before the test was complete.

However, Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope, said: "The current medical tests used to reassess people and move them into work are inherently flawed. We fear that simply speeding this process up will mean that corners will be cut, disabled people's needs will not be met, and the Government will fail to achieve its aims."

Yvette Cooper, the shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said the previous government had, in consultation with doctors and disability groups, designed a new test for gauging fitness for work.

She said: "We have been urging the new government to complete the implementation of those reforms and hope they will do so. "We would be very concerned if they were to rip up the new test and the medical evidence just to reach an arbitrary target for spending cuts – that would be deeply unfair."

Ms Cooper said that Labour's test – the work capability assessment – would save £1.5bn a year.

Mr Osborne has argued that further welfare savings are necessary to limit cuts to public services in the spending review in the autumn.

He warned that without further savings, many government departments will see their spending slashed by an average of 25 per cent over the next four years.

Barry O'Connell, 64, Essex: 'The Government is hitting out at easy pickings . . .'

"How dare the politicians tell us they care about the disabled, that we have rights and a future, and then show they have no qualms about making our lives miserable like this?

"When you are relying on incapacity benefits, they make-or-break a person. The Government should consult us and ask us how we will be affected. They would never want to be in my position. They should try living in my world.

"These benefits are a lifeline for me and my wife. Having an assistance dog has saved my marriage. My dog's name is Guy – if budget cuts took him away from me, I don't know what I would do; he helps me survive and live life.

"The Government is hitting out at those they see as easy pickings – those who find it far harder to speak up for themselves. The disabled are a soft target. There is no way I could work. I used to work for the Royal Mail before I had my accident: I broke my back in three places when I fell off a ladder in 2003.

"I now have four titanium rods going from my neck to my bottom. I have 80 bolts in my back and a metal plate at the top and at the bottom.

"A person's mental capacity to deal with their disability is already stretched to the limit. To now add to all that anguish the threat of taking the small amount of money I do have is dreadful.

"I understand that in a recession we all have to take the knocks together. But to hit out at the people who need help the most is disgusting."

Cecilia Weightman, 51, Bristol: 'We are all asking: what if they get the assessment wrong?'

"I am really concerned about the medical assessments. I have problems the doctor is not going to be as qualified to pick up as my psychiatric consultant, who is familiar with my situation.

"I know other people who claim incapacity benefits are worried about what is going to happen. We are all asking the question: 'What if they get the assessment wrong?' But those who cheat the system should be treated severely; they should be made to pay back every penny, and not just be given a token prison sentence or a fine.

"I have ultradian bipolar disorder. If I could work, I would. I used to work in community activism for four to five hours per week, but it would knock me out for days afterwards. Every day I can have up to 12 mood changes – that is absolutely exhausting and terrifying.

"At present, there are already considerable delays in the medical assessments so, unless they increase staffing levels, these assessments will only exacerbate the situation.

"At the moment, because of benefits and other provisions, I can go out for the day and enjoy life rather than being stuck inside the house, unable to go anywhere. That is crucial for people with mental-health problems. But if the Government cuts benefits, I would not be able to do that. Things would seem a lot more bleak.

"Maybe a few politicians should try living with a mental health problem, it is hell. These reforms will not put people back into work. It will be a regression."

Rebecca Young, 24, Manchester: 'If I were forced to work, it would be a disaster'

"I am worried that, at the medical assessment, I will be seen on a good day; I am terrified they will jump to the conclusion that I can go out and work, and cut my benefits.

"Some days my speech is fine but others it is not. My disorder means that it varies from day to day. If my benefit were cut, it would cause me massive trouble. I only have enough to get by, as it is. I do not buy luxuries.

"I have a rare degenerative genetic disorder which affects my mobility, my joints, my ability to swallow and also to speak. I also have Asperger's syndrome. I use a specially-adapted wheelchair and need a high level of support. I also have a specially-adapted van. I need all of this to make life worth living.

"My situation is complicated by the fact that the genetic disorder is so rare – the average medic may not even know it exists. Every morning it takes me four hours to get ready. If I was forced to work, it would be a disaster. I am exhausted by the small things I already have to do. On a good day, it might be possible for me to do a few hours paid work; I would love to. But those days do not come around too often.

"I am studying health and social care at the Open University. I would like to work as an NHS manager and change the system from the inside, but I realise the chances are very slim: I would need properly flexible conditions.

"If I were forced to work, I would be scared that the little energy I do have will not last, making the situation twice as bad. The people falsely claiming incapacity benefit are few and far between."


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2010-06-28

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    Anam Cara - The friend of your soul

    Lisa Sabin-Wilson

    http://twitter.com/lisasabinwilson   http://facebook.com/lisasabinwilson

    Anam Cara – The Friend of Your Soul

    on: Mar/17/06 and its been viewed 38,087 times

    In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul love; “Anam Cara” may sound like some new French perfume, but it actually refers to the Celtic spiritual belief of souls connecting and bonding .

    In Celtic Spiritual tradition, it is believed that the soul radiates all about the physical body what some refer to as an aura. When you connect with another person and become completely open and trusting with that individual, your two souls begin to flow together.

    Should such a deep bond be formed, it is said you have found your “Anam Cara” or soul friend.

    Your “Anam Cara” always accepts you as you truly are, holding you in beauty and light. In order to appreciate this relationship, you must first recognize your own inner light and beauty. This is not always easy to do. The Celts believed that forming an “Anam Cara” friendship would help you to awaken your awareness of your own nature and experience the joys of others.


    The “Anam Cara” was originally someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the “Anam Cara”, you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an “Anam Cara”, your friendship cut across all convention, morality and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the “friend of your soul”. The Celtic understanding did not set limitations of space or time on the soul. There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your Other.

    This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. When you love, you open your life to an Other. All your barriers are down. Your protective distances collapse. This person is given absolute permission to come into the deepest temple of your spirit. Your presence and life can become their ground. It takes great courage to let someone so close. Where a friendship recognizes itself as a gift, it will remain open to its own ground of blessing….. When you are blessed with an “Anam Cara”, the Irish believe, you have arrived at that most sacred place: home. This bond between friends is indissoluble: “This, I say, is what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot part”.

    ~ from “Anam Cara…Wisdom from the Celtic World“, by John O’Donohue

    My St. Patrick’s Day wish for you is that you have found your Anam Cara. Like an ice cold pint of Guiness – everyone should have one!



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    Autonomy Corporation Company Research (AU.) Share Prices, Charts, News, Financials, and More - Digital Look

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    Autonomy Financials

    Latest F'cast
    Div Yield 0.0% 0.0%
    Div Cover n/a n/a
    Op Mrgn 36.8% 47.3%
    ROCE 91.2%  
    Latest F'cast
    P/E 28.7 23.3
    PEG 0.7 1.0
    Pr/Revenue 9.2 7.6
    Pr/Book 4.0  
    Latest F'cast
    Revenue 47.0% -46.7%
    PBT 43.3% -29.9%
    EPS 42.0% 25.2%
    DPS n/a n/a

    Autonomy Fundamentals

    Year Ending Revenue ($m) Pre-tax ($m) EPS P/E PEG EPS Grth. Div Yield
    31-Dec-05 96.03 12.63 6.55¢ 84.2 1.4 +62% n/a 0.0%
    31-Dec-06 250.68 56.32 21.00¢ 34.3 0.2 +221% n/a 0.0%
    31-Dec-07 343.41 91.45 31.00¢ 43.0 0.9 +48% n/a 0.0%
    31-Dec-08 503.23 185.71 69.00¢ 20.8 0.2 +123% n/a 0.0%
    31-Dec-09 739.69 266.07 98.00¢ 23.2 0.6 +42% n/a 0.0%

    a. Based on UK GAAP presentation of accounts - includes discontinued activities

    Autonomy Forecasts

    Year Ending Revenue (�m) Pre-tax (�m) EPS P/E PEG EPS Grth. Div Yield
    31-Dec-10 593.81 280.96 81.58p 23.0 0.9 +25% n/a 0.0%
    31-Dec-11 678.35 335.31 95.88p 19.5 1.1 +18% n/a 0.0%

    Copyright © 2010 FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

    Autonomy Company Announcements

    Re Agreement 21-Jun-2010 14:00 RNS
    Holding(s) in Company 18-Jun-2010 16:45 RNS
    Holding(s) in Company 16-Jun-2010 16:45 RNS

    Latest Autonomy Director Deals

    Traded Action Notifier PriceAmountValue
    04-Jun-10 Sell Michael Lynch 1,778.59p 150,000 �2,667,885.02
    04-May-10 Sell Richard G Gaunt 1,791.50p 100,000 �1,791,500.09
    23-Apr-10 Sell Sushovan Hussain 1,858.00p 105,000 �1,950,899.99

    Note 1: Prices and trades are provided by Digital Look Corporate Solutions and are delayed by at least 15 minutes.

    Note 2: RiskGrade figures are provided by RiskMetrics.

    Note 3: Above ratios are on a 'per annum' basis, adjusted for corporate actions and based on the fundamentals of the primary listed security.

    Note 4: Under IFRS, all figures are based on 'Continuing' operations unless otherwise stated.

    Note 5: In the case of dual listed securities, broker recommendations and forecasts relate to the primary listing.

    Note 6: Forecast figures based on normalised accounts.

     

    Autonomy Market Data

    Currency UK Pounds
    Share Price 1,872.00p Price Down
    Change Today -5.00p
    % Change -0.27%
    52 Week High 1,975.00p
    52 Week Low 1,175.00p
    Volume 333,951
    Shares Issued 241.63m
    Market Cap �4,523.40m
    Beta 1.01
    RiskGrade 154

    Autonomy Star Ratings

    Compare performance with the sector and the market.

    more star ratings

    Key: vs Market vs Sector
    Value
    93.08% below the market average93.08% below the market average93.08% below the market average93.08% below the market average93.08% below the market average
    88.79% below the sector average88.79% below the sector average88.79% below the sector average88.79% below the sector average88.79% below the sector average
    Price Trend
    80.72% above the market average80.72% above the market average80.72% above the market average80.72% above the market average80.72% above the market average
    77.27% above the sector average77.27% above the sector average77.27% above the sector average77.27% above the sector average77.27% above the sector average
    Income Not Available
    Growth
    97.16% above the market average97.16% above the market average97.16% above the market average97.16% above the market average97.16% above the market average
    98.44% above the sector average98.44% above the sector average98.44% above the sector average98.44% above the sector average98.44% above the sector average

    What The Brokers Say

    Strong Buy 7
    Buy 2
    Neutral 5
    Sell 0
    Strong Sell 3
    Total 17
    buy
    Broker recommendations should not be taken as investment advice, and are provided by the authorised brokers listed on this page.

    Autonomy Dividends

    No dividends found

    Trades for 25-Jun-2010

    Time Volume / Share Price
    16:52 9,846 @ 1,880.45p
    16:43 1,058 @ 1,872.00p
    16:27 15 @ 1,872.00p
    16:26 7 @ 1,872.00p
    16:26 83 @ 1,872.00p

    Autonomy Key Personnel

    CFO Sushovan Hussain
    CEO Michael Lynch

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